Although sic bo has been very popular in Asian for a long time, it is a relatively new addition to the casinos of Las Vegas and Atlantic City. The basis of sic bo is very simple; you bet on the outcome of three rolled dice. The sic bo table consists of areas where you can place your bet on the outcome of the dice. The winning areas of the sic bo table light up, which is considered by many the biggest attraction to the game. sic bo is very similar to a popular English game known as Grand Hazard. You'll see that the game is also similar to Big Six in the manner of placing the bets and the odds. In Chinese, sic bo literally means "dice pairs."

The game of sic bo is played with dice. After all the bets have been made, the dealer spins a small cage containing three dice. The results of which can be bet on in a number of different ways.

Single Number Bets

The bottom row of the sic bo table has six betting areas. These are called single number bets. If one of the three dice comes up as one the numbers bet on (from 1-6), you get paid out at 1-1. If two numbers come up you get paid out at 2-1 and if three numbers come up you get paid out at 3-1. So if bet on the number 6 and you wagered $5.00 and 2 sixes came up you would win $10.00.

Two Number Combinations 6-1

The two number combination bets in sic bo consist of placing a wager on any 2 dice combinations. If you wager on a 6,4 combination and the result of the dice roll was 4,7,6, you would win at 6-1 odds. You can only win on one instance of the two-number combination in sic bo, so 6,4,4 would only pay out once.

Three Number Totals

In sic bo a three number total wager consists of combining the total shown on the resulting dice roll. Different totals have different odds. A result of 3 or 18 is always a loss.

The payouts in sic bo are as follows:

Three Number Totals (4-17)

• 4 or 17 50-1
• 5 or 16 25-1
• 6 or 15 15-1
• 7 or 14 10-1
• 8 or 13 6-1
• 9 or 12 5-1
• 10 or 11 5-1

Small or Big Wager

You can wager on whether the combined total of the dice roll in sic bo will be either between 4-10 or 11-17. This wager pays out at 1-1 odds in sic bo All small or big wagers lose if the result of the dice is a triplet.

Triplet Bets

Triplets in sic bo are when the resulting dice roll consists of all three dice containing the same digit. So if you wagered on three 6's and that was the dice result you would win at 150-1 odds. You can also wager on all six triplet bets at once in sic bo, this is called "Any Triplet" and pays out at 25-1 odds.

• Triplet Bets 150-1
• Any Triplet 25-1
• Pair Bets 11-1

Pairs are when the resulting dice roll contains a pair of the same number in sic bo Whether you have two fives or three fives you still only win once and you win at odds of 11-1.

There are seven different bets you can make at a sic bo table. First, players may wager on any one of the six dice sides (1 through 6). If that number comes up on any one of the dice, the sic bo player is paid even money. If two of the dice come up with the same number, the bet is paid off at 2-to-1. And if all three dice come up on that same number, the bet is paid at 3-to-1. The house edge on this number is 7.8%.

The next wager on the sic bo table is a combination of two numbers. If, for example, a 2-5 or a 3-6 come up on any two of the dice, the bet is paid off at 5-to-1, giving the house 16.6 percent advantage.

Bets can also be made on the total of all the dice. The sic bo player can bet on any specific total from 4 to 17. The payoff on this bet varies from 6-to-1 to 50-to-1, depending upon the total bet. The house edge can also vary between 9.7% to 47.2%.

The next sic bo bet is a wager of "small" or "big," which means that if you bet on small, you're wagering that the three dice will total between 4 and 10. Big bets win if the dice total between 11 and 17. However, you lose if any triple appears. That means if three twos or threes or any other three-of-a-kind comes up, you lose, even though the total might constitute a small or big win. But even with the catch thrown in, the big and small bets are the best at the sic bo table, giving the house a rather reasonable 2.7% edge.

You also can bet for any of the six triplets in sic bo, but the three-of-a-kind bet is among the worst on the sic bo table. If you bet, for instance, that three fours will come up, you'll get paid 150-to-1, but the true odds are 215-to-1, giving the casino a 30% advantage.

You could also bet for any triplet. You get paid 24-to-1 on this bet, but the true odds are 35-to-1. Which ends up another 30% house edge.